Edoardo Molinari is the big winner

THE FINAL world rankings of 2009 were confirmed yesterday, which brought some early good tidings to a number of players on the brink. Edoardo Molinari was the big winner, as the Italian’s strong showing in the South African Open enabled him to move up six places to 49th, which guaranteed him a place in the field for next year’s US Masters at Augusta National where he will join his brother, Francesco.

Spain’s Alvaro Quiros was the loser in the final moving and shaking of the year, as he fell from 50th to 51st. That fall means Quiros won’t get an early invitation into the field. The only escape route for the big-hitting Spaniard heading into 2010 is to return to the world’s top-50 at the cut-off point a fortnight before the season’s first major.

The inclusion of Pádraig Harrington, Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell in the field was already assured before yesterday’s final ranking.

Harrington gets in on multiple counts: winner of the British Open in 2007 and 2008, and winner of the US PGA in 2008, each of which carry five-year exemptions, as well as figuring in the world’s top-five, finishing on the top-30 on the PGA Tour’s money list and making the Tour Championship.

McIlroy has qualified on two counts: top-50 in the world and top-four finish at the PGA.

And McDowell has earned his invitation from being in the top-50 in the world.

It will take some spectacular leapfrogging from Ireland’s other tour players in the early part of next year if any are to join them.

Darren Clarke, who is 113th, down from 70th this time last year, has been working hard in the gym and on his putting with Phil Kenyon, but he would need to hit the ground running hard and fast on his return to competition in the new year if he is make a return back to Augusta.

Clarke has chosen a busy early-season itinerary, deciding to play the Africa Open and the Joburg Open, before moving on to the Gulf for a run that takes in Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Dubai.

Gareth Maybin, who started the year ranked 89th on the back of a fine season on the Challenge Tour in 2008, had a decent rookie year on the main tour, including a runner-up finish in the South African Open, but he has dropped to 125th in the rankings.

Irish Open winner Shane Lowry has moved to 135th.

The Molinari brothers, incidentally, will become the first siblings to play in the same Masters tournament since Japan’s Jumbo and Joe Ozaki in 2000.

Edoardo, who won the Challenge Tour this season, moved from 635th in the world a year ago to 49th, 10 places behind his brother, to secure a first invitation to the major.

Lee Westwood, who finished the year as the leading European in the rankings at four, has committed to playing in the Qatar Masters in what will mark his seasonal return, but the Englishman has stated it is his ambition to win a major.

In yesterday confirming he will play Qatar for a fifth straight year, Westwood said in a statement: “My priorities next year will once again be to challenge strongly for the majors. I came close this year and hope to do well in all four in 2010. Hopefully, this time I’ll win one.

“I shall fine-tune my game over the winter and return for the Middle East swing in January before heading for the States to prepare my run-in to the Masters.”

The biggest fallers in the rankings are 2008 US Masters champion Trevor Immelman, who suffered a wrist injury and crashed from 20th to 133rd; Australian Aaron Baddeley, 36th to 139th; and Swede Carl Pettersson, 62nd to 212th.

Tiger Woods stayed at the top all year, but came close to losing the number one spot in March as a result of his eight-month lay-off following knee surgery, and the gap is bound to close again now that he has announced an indefinite break to try to sort out his personal life.

Meanwhile, Christy O’Connor Snr, who was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame last month but was unable to travel to Florida for the occasion, was last night the guest at a “surprise party” attended by Jack Peter, vice-president of the association, who made an official presentation to Himself.